Ordinance committee approves rezoning, comp-plan change for 135 Atwood Ave.

The Cranston Ordinance Committee approved two measures on March 13 to reclassify 135 Atwood Avenue (Plat 12, Lots 176 and 177) from residential to commercial and to amend the city's comprehensive plan to reflect that change.

The committee voted to advance Ordinance 02501, which amends Chapter 17 (Zoning) to change the property's zoning, and Ordinance 02502, which amends the comprehensive plan's land-use map so the requested rezoning is consistent with the plan. The Planning Commission had recommended both measures to the committee on Feb. 5.

Attorney Robert Murray, representing petitioner Michelle Lombardi, told the committee the building at 135 Atwood Ave. had been converted from a residence to a professional-office use in 1980 with zoning-board approval. Lombardi acquired the two lots in 2022. Murray said a prior tenant seeking a state health license ran into a paperwork problem because the property remained mapped in the plan and code as single- or two-family residential; the zoning certificate the health department requires could not be issued without aligning the zoning and the comprehensive plan. Murray said the property has hosted a mix of low-intensity commercial uses (a barber, a health-care office and a small cleaning-company office) and that the Planning Department recommended C2 (neighborhood commercial) to match the surrounding Atwood Avenue commercial corridor.

Committee members asked about public notice and procedure. Solicitor staff confirmed abutter notices were mailed (certified) in late February and that the Planning Commission's positive recommendation appears in the packet. The committee also discussed whether the city should reserve its quarterly allowance of plan amendments (state law limits municipalities to a small number of amendments per calendar year); members noted this is the first such request of the year and that the committee should weigh larger, citywide impacts when considering future amendments.

The committee approved both ordinances by roll call vote. The committee recorded a positive recommendation to send the measures to the full City Council.

The measures change the property's official land-use and zoning designations and enable the building to host permitted C2 uses without requiring repeated zoning-board approvals for each new tenant. The petitioner said exterior repair and improvements are planned after the zoning and plan steps are complete.

Murray and Lombardi said they would provide further documentation if the committee or council requests it; Murray also gave the committee a set of photos and a 400-foot radius map showing surrounding C2 parcels on Atwood Avenue as part of the record.

For the record: the committee acted on Ordinances 02501 (zoning) and 02502 (comprehensive plan amendment); both received favorable recommendation to the full Council.